Pickling began 4000 years ago using cucumbers native to India. This was used as a way to preserve food for out-of-season use and for long journeys, especially by sea. Salt pork and salt beef were common staples for sailors before the days of steam engines. Although the process was invented to preserve foods, pickles are also made and eaten because people enjoy the resulting flavors. Pickling may also improve the nutritional value of food by introducing B vitamins produced by bacteria. Pickling has attained its popularity all over the world. Whether a Korean feast of pickled vegetables or a way to survive a harsh western European winter pickling has been a staple to many cultures across the decades. In fact, my microbiology professor even gave us a quick sauerkraut demonstration in class in order to show how delicious healthy bacteria can taste! Perhaps with our current generation pickling is not quite the necessity in America, but it is making quite the trendy comeback. Even the gentleman at the hardware store that helped me find my pickling jars was saying that these babies are starting to pick up in sales.
Now, I have made pickled daikon and carrot in the past for Vietnamese dishes, but I have never truly dove into the process of pickling (aside from one very tragic attempt at pickles that turned into a jar of cucumbers that tasted like nasty feet covered in vinegar). All I can say from my experience was that all of these wonderfully sour treats were really fun to make! Mike and I made a day of pickling and I think that he enjoyed it as much as I did ...especially the jalapenos!
We made pickled jalapenos, zucchini chips, bean sprouts and kim chee! I am not one to blog about recipes in traditional recipe form. That list of ingredients and all of those directions just make cooking more of a chore sometimes. What can I say? It just isn't my style, but, for organizational purposes I am going to do it that way for this entry. This way you can quickly scroll through in the future to find the recipe you want instead of having to read this entire thing yet again!
Kim Chee
1 large Chinese or Napa Cabbage
1 gallon (4l) water
1/2 cup (100g) coarse salt
1 small head of garlic, peeled and finely minced
one 2-inch (6cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 cup (60ml) fish sauce
1/3 cup (80ml) chili paste or 1/2 cup Korean chili powder (or Thai chili paste)
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch (3cm) lengths (use the dark green part, too, except for the tough ends)
1 medium daikon radish, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
Slice the cabbage lengthwise in half, then slice each half lengthwise into 3 sections. Cut away the tough stem chunks.
Pickled Jalapenos
5 cups vinegar (white or cider)
1 cup water
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 pounds fresh jalapeno peppers (or yellow banana peppers or pepperoncini)
(3-6 slices from a peeled carrot, optional)
(1/2 slice of onion, optional)
When making this dish the choice of vinegar is up to you. White vinegar looks better, but I do have to say that apple cider vinegar tastes way better...at least in this recipe!
Place the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and stir briefly to dissolve the salt and sugar. Cover and keep hot over low heat while you prepare the jalapenos.
Pickled Bean Sprouts
1/2 lb. of bean sprout
1 c. water
1 c. white vinegar
1/2 c. of sugar
1/2 of a carrot (optional)
pinch of salt
I first got the idea to try this dish when Mike and I were at out favorite local Korean restaurant. Before they serve you your entree they bring you an array of tiny dishes each filled with a different pickled item. While El Guapo may have a plethora of pinatas I had a plethora of pickles! One of these items being bean sprouts. Every time I buy bean sprouts for a particular meal I always end up throwing half of the bag away. They go bad so fast once that little plastic bag is open and I just never seem to eat them fast enough. This was the perfect fix to my bean sprout wasting problem!
Pack you canning jar with bean sprouts and your shredded carrot if you wish. In a small sauce pan bring the sugar, water and vinegar to a simmer. Let it simmer for 3 minutes then turn the heat off and let it cool a bit so that the liquid doesn't cook the sprouts when you pour it in the jar. Once the liquid is cooled off a bit pour to cover the bean sprouts. Let the jar cool to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator. The bean sprouts are ready to eat in just a few hours.
Pickled Watermelon
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar or honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon whole cloves
4 small, dried chiles
4 wide strips lemon peel
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds peeled watermelon rind, cut into (1/3-inch) chunks (about 5 cups)
8 radishes, cut into small wedges
This is a recipe that I stole from Whole Foods' website. Though I have heard mixed reviews about it I have to say that it is the best sounding one that I could find. Pickled watermelon is something that I think is not necessarily a crowd pleaser in general...maybe it is an acquired taste. Who knows? They are something that I think everyone should try at least once just to get in touch with any southern roots that may exist in blood line!
3 medium zucchini (1 pound / 16 oz / 450 g), thinly sliced
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup (small handful) fresh dill sprigs
1 small fresh red chile pepper, very thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
3/4 cup / 180 ml cider vinegar
3/4 cup / 180 ml white wine vinegar
1/3 cup / 1.75 oz / 50g natural cane sugar
Toss the zucchini, onion, shallots, and salt together in a colander and place over a bowl to catch the liquids. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least a couple hours. Toss once or twice along the way. You're aiming to get as much liquid out of the zucchini as possible.
When you're finished draining the zucchini, shake off any water. At this point you want the zucchini as dry as possible. Place in a jar along with the dill, chile pepper, and mustard seeds.
1 gallon (4l) water
1/2 cup (100g) coarse salt
1 small head of garlic, peeled and finely minced
one 2-inch (6cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 cup (60ml) fish sauce
1/3 cup (80ml) chili paste or 1/2 cup Korean chili powder (or Thai chili paste)
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch (3cm) lengths (use the dark green part, too, except for the tough ends)
1 medium daikon radish, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
Slice the cabbage lengthwise in half, then slice each half lengthwise into 3 sections. Cut away the tough stem chunks.
Dissolve the salt in the water in a very large container, then submerge the cabbage under the water. Put a plate on top to make sure they stay under water, then let stand for 2 hours.
Mix the other ingredients in a very large metal or glass bowl.
Drain the cabbage, rinse it, and squeeze it dry.
Here’s the scary part: mix it all up!
Some recipes advise wearing rubber gloves since the chili paste can stain your hands, but I didn't have a problem.
Pack the kimchi in a clean glass jar large enough to hold it all and cover it tightly. Let stand for one to two days in a cool place, around room temperature.
Check the kimchi after 1-2 days. If it’s bubbling a bit, it’s ready and should be refrigerated. If not, let it stand another day, when it should be ready.
Once it’s fermenting, serve or store in the refrigerator. I have heard that you should not store kim chee for more than 3 weeks as it can become too fermented, but I must admit that I have had jars of this stuff in the fridge for months and kept on munching on it without a problem.
Pickled Jalapenos
5 cups vinegar (white or cider)
1 cup water
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 pounds fresh jalapeno peppers (or yellow banana peppers or pepperoncini)
(3-6 slices from a peeled carrot, optional)
(1/2 slice of onion, optional)
When making this dish the choice of vinegar is up to you. White vinegar looks better, but I do have to say that apple cider vinegar tastes way better...at least in this recipe!
Place the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and stir briefly to dissolve the salt and sugar. Cover and keep hot over low heat while you prepare the jalapenos.
Wash the jalapenos and slice 1/4-inch thick; discard the stem ends. If using the carrot and onion, place 1 or 2 pieces of each in the jar. Pack the jalapeno slices into the sterilized pint jars. 2 pounds of jalapenos should make at least 3 pints; pack the jalapenos tightly, but do not crush them. Ladle the brine over the jalapenos. If the liquid does not completely cove the peppers at a little water in order to do so. Let then jar cool to room temperature and then refrigerate. The peppers should be ready to eat in 1-2 days.
Pickled Bean Sprouts
1/2 lb. of bean sprout
1 c. water
1 c. white vinegar
1/2 c. of sugar
1/2 of a carrot (optional)
pinch of salt
I first got the idea to try this dish when Mike and I were at out favorite local Korean restaurant. Before they serve you your entree they bring you an array of tiny dishes each filled with a different pickled item. While El Guapo may have a plethora of pinatas I had a plethora of pickles! One of these items being bean sprouts. Every time I buy bean sprouts for a particular meal I always end up throwing half of the bag away. They go bad so fast once that little plastic bag is open and I just never seem to eat them fast enough. This was the perfect fix to my bean sprout wasting problem!
Pack you canning jar with bean sprouts and your shredded carrot if you wish. In a small sauce pan bring the sugar, water and vinegar to a simmer. Let it simmer for 3 minutes then turn the heat off and let it cool a bit so that the liquid doesn't cook the sprouts when you pour it in the jar. Once the liquid is cooled off a bit pour to cover the bean sprouts. Let the jar cool to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator. The bean sprouts are ready to eat in just a few hours.
Pickled Watermelon
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar or honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon whole cloves
4 small, dried chiles
4 wide strips lemon peel
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds peeled watermelon rind, cut into (1/3-inch) chunks (about 5 cups)
8 radishes, cut into small wedges
This is a recipe that I stole from Whole Foods' website. Though I have heard mixed reviews about it I have to say that it is the best sounding one that I could find. Pickled watermelon is something that I think is not necessarily a crowd pleaser in general...maybe it is an acquired taste. Who knows? They are something that I think everyone should try at least once just to get in touch with any southern roots that may exist in blood line!
Put the vinegar, water, sugar or honey (I used sugar), salt, cloves, chiles, lemon peel and ginger into a medium pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add rind, reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer until rind is tender and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover pot and stir in radishes. Spoon contents of pot (with pickling liquid) into glass jars, seal tightly and chill overnight. Serve right away or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
And...last, but definitely not least...
Pickled Zucchini Chips
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup (small handful) fresh dill sprigs
1 small fresh red chile pepper, very thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
3/4 cup / 180 ml cider vinegar
3/4 cup / 180 ml white wine vinegar
1/3 cup / 1.75 oz / 50g natural cane sugar
Combine the ciders and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves, and continue to boil for a few minutes. Pour the liquid over the zucchini and seal the jar. Let cool, then refrigerate. The pickles are good for a week or so.
There you have it! A solid days worth of pickling. Have at it my savory and sour flavored lovers and if anyone comes across more pickling goodness that I have missed please share!
